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by Robin Tricoles

The Language

of ‘Intelligence Augmentation’

Examining human and computer interdependence

est easy, people. The recent revolution in
Rartificial intelligence won’t be spawning
computers hell-bent on doing in the human
race. Instead, artificial intelligence, or AI,
will be working with us and not against us,
in what Mihai Surdeanu terms “intelligence
augmentation,” or IA.
Surdeanu, a University of Arizona associate
professor of computer science, touched on the
differences between AI and the human mind —
and where AI is headed — in his talk titled “The
Minds of Machines.” The talk was part of the
College of Science 2018 lecture series, “Humans,
Data and Machines,” which delved into various
aspects of the revolutionary social change now
underway with the convergence of the physical,
digital and biological worlds.
Surdeanu said that one of the starkest
differences between the human mind and AI
was noted by 20th-century philosopher Martin
Heidegger, whose work focused on what it means
to be.
“Essentially, what Heidegger is saying is that
what we are, and what the world is, are mutually
interdependent,” Surdeanu said. “There’s no
objective world apart from our experiences of it, Computer scientist Mihai Surdeanu
just as our experiences cannot be separated from speaks at the College of Science
the world in which they occur.” “We shouldn’t trust in decisions without an lecture series in Centennial Hall.
In other words, “Existence is interpretation, explanation of why they’re happening,” he said. / Bob Demers, UANews photo
and interpretation is existence,” Surdeanu said. “In the future, we will have systems that have
In fact, Heidegger went to the trouble to the ability to explain themselves, which is better
coin the word “Dasein” to describe humans’ than most of us can do.”
self-conscious existence and capacity for self- Of course, AI can help humans with
interpretation. Computers lack these, which monumental tasks, such as quickly mining
limits their capacity for humanlike intelligence. and sorting data that humans can later use for
For example, when it comes to learning research that only humans can do.
human language, AI has a limited ability to grasp That’s why Surdeanu said he prefers
syntax, sarcasm or metaphor. Another example is “intelligence augmentation” to “artificial
decision making. Artificial intelligence can make intelligence.” After all, artificial intelligence
decisions, but it can’t yet explain why it made the originally was designed to complement us, not to
decision it did, Surdeanu said. replace us.

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